Fishing Updates
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Darwin to Mitchell River, April 2007
After an incredible run direct from Darwin to the King George River in calm seas and light winds we were met with the spectacular sight of the famous falls in moderate flood to all our delight. We also found some nice barra to 78cm next to a lovely little waterfall which made a great backdrop for photos.
It was a great start to an awesome trip which saw us safely release PJ’s 52lb GT and Tony’s 102cm barra. We also gathered a tasty haul of muddies and oysters on a few occasions not to mention the numerous queenies, GT’s, macks and other Kimberley bluewater sportsfishing delights which constantly kept the rods bent and lines tight! And there were plenty of barra around too.
We also found some pretty speccy new spots for anchoring, exploring and swimming of which the favourite would have to be Surveyors Creek in the Mitchell River.
Mitchell River – Admiralty Gulf – Mitchell River, April 2007
A late morning crew transfer with a couple of choppers in Surveyors Creek saw the guys from Melbourne land all keen for some action. The barra had shut down a bit so we headed out into the gulf to tackle some of the bluewater hotspots we’d found. There was plenty happening on that front and the guys new saltiga outfits were given a pretty good christening.
As we moved through the islands in the gulf we found plenty of action including some seriously big stuff that even our heaviest gear just couldn’t stop. Rock art, big goldies, evening spotlighting for turtles and camping out on the beach kept us going and the bust offs from the really big fish unfortunately kept on coming too. There were at least six of these monsters that just couldn’t be stopped and loved hugging the reef to put an end to hopes of a big one caught!
It was a great trip that ended with Darren’s mate from Miami (who’d come along purely to capture the trip on video for the guys) nailing an 84cm barra just on sunset!
Mitchell River to Darwin, May 2007
This final trip before returning to Darwin saw the beautiful weather continue and the fishing remain at a high standard. We explored as far as possible up the Mitchell to the limit of tidal influence where there were some beautiful rock pools and waterfalls and enjoyed exploring deeper into Vansittart Bay where we found a few jacks and GT’s. Naomi caught a 30lb GT at the same spot where the 52lb was caught 2 weeks prior and some big goldies and queenies were in abundance near the Governor Islands.
The King George was still flowing (although not quite so heavily) when we pulled into Koolama Bay and the trip back across the Bonaparte Gulf was all calm seas and no wind the whole way. At the Little Moyle there were a few barra to be had and a creek further up the coast had cut a new mouth over the wet and was abundant in crabs that we scooped up in the landing nets. The final night was spent at Bare Sandy Island where we were lucky to watch 2 turtles laying their eggs before the last leg into Darwin the next day.
Barra Base, May 2007
A delayed departure due to a cracked oil cooler saw us arriving at Barra Base with 30mins to spare before the plane flew in with our first crew! The first fish was caught within the hour and measured and impressive 91cm but then the whole place seemed to shut down and the fish were hard to find. A couple of jewies and plenty of goldies were caught on the reef and there were plenty of muddies to be had as well as crocs keen to chew on a crab pot or two.
One of the guys on the trip was in a wheelchair and the old Hyland C proved to be quite a wheelchair friendly boat which was great and made us realize how spacious the boat actually is.
The following days saw pretty dismal action inside Port Hurd but luckily the creeks outside the system were holding some good barra and salmon which kept everyone smiling and after a good feed of crab it was time for the boys to trade places with the next crew flying in.
Barra Base, May 2007
This trip was very similar to the last with most of the good fishing occurring outside of the Port Hurd system. Last years days of hundreds of breakout fish from the farm were appearing to be well and truly over but there were still some great captures and the boys enjoyed the challenge of having to work hard to find and then land a good fish.
The reef fishing remained good with some tasty little goldies, a few jewies and some monster hammerhead sharks putting on a good show. A BIG 90cm barra was the fish of the trip and was unfortunately taken by a hungry shark only minutes after it was released as was an 87cm threadie.
The guys from Sydney really enjoyed their trip and with bags and a box of fillets in hand departed for the 30min flight back to the big smoke leaving the crew to bring Hyland C back home. Naomi made it worthwhile with a juvenile black marlin capture while the boys were sleeping!!!
King George River to Hunter River, June 2007
Unfortunately we had a shocking dose of bad weather for the first 5 days of this trip which was really disappointing for everyone on board. The wind howled, the rain dumped down from the heavens and it was freezing cold! However we managed to salvage a few decent sessions amongst all the gloom and bagged a few good fish and plenty of oysters to keep us all alive.
Finally the weather broke and the fishing went nuts! The seas tamed right off and GT’s and hungry sharks were on the menu near Bigge Island. It was hard to get a whole fish to the boat without it being savaged by marauding sharks. Ray nailed a 55lb barracouda at some isolated rocks which was an absolute monster and the standard assortment of size large Kimberley sportsfish kept the lines tight for the remainder of the trip.
Hunter River to Broome, July 2007
After backtracking briefly to the Bigge Island area for some stud goldies, giant oysters and cultural wonders we continued on down through the Kimberley to Broome. A standard fare of macks, GT’s, Queenies and sharks filled out each day along with visits to waterfalls, beaches and boab trees. One overly hungry barracouda of approx. 35lb inhaled a roosta popper so far down its throat that the poor thing had to be sacrificed to the fishing gods so we could get the new lure back!
An exploratory expedition into the region of the Horizontal Waterfalls saw the boys discover an amazing reef covered in fish, turtles and coral in crystal clear water. They made it to the falls for a turn of the tide and were stunned by the natural forces in action there. And as we headed round Cape Leveque on the final leg to Broome we came across a huge school of feeding bludger trevally that kept us entertained for an hour or so. Then we raised but didn’t connect to four sailfish and in the waning hours of the day Simon came through with the goods (thanks to his good mate Brad) and we tagged a beautiful sailfish to cap the trip off.
Broome Billfish Classic, July 2007
It was a quiet year compared to the last couple and all teams had to work hard for their fish. Having said that, our very own Brad was awarded Champion Male Angler to our delight and the team received Runner Up Champion Visiting Boat to make us all quite proud. Both Naomi and Mark didn’t manage to tag a fish but Frank and Brad made up for it with Brad scoring 4 sails and 2 marlin, and Frankie 2 sails for the tournament. It was only Brad’s second year fishing the comp and he was most chuffed to catch his first 2 marlin ever on the same day. Well done Brad!
Broome to Hunter River, July 2007
We departed Broome in less than kind conditions but by day 3 we were in the thick of it with waterfall and fishing adventures in abundance. The guys from Sydney were loving it and Naomi was taking lessons on cooking pasta from the maestro of Italian cooking, Tom. We enjoyed a great breakfast with Marion and Phil at Silvergull Creek and chased it up with a very successful oyster hunt to provide the lunch.
The boys saw some serious mack action and there was a snapper fest like no other with the best fish stretching to 73cm on the tape. This particular goldie saved the life of a cruising yachtie who had not caught a fish for over 2 months (and not for lack of trying)! In between the goldie fishing (the boys favourite) and lazing on the beach for an evening drink we were entertained by another Italian maestro, Joe the Tenor, who sang beautiful operas under the Kimberley stars for us all!
Hunter River to King George River, August 2007
Apart from a smoky inbound chopper flight to the boat due to bushfires the weather on this trip was as close to perfect as you could get. A bit of exploration at the beginning of the trip found us a couple of new spots including a beautiful rainforest ravine with plenty of fresh water swimming holes and a beach with some amazing tidal caves covered in oysters.
The fishing was superb with Gazza bagging a 79cm goldie and Roslyn topping the ladder with a 25kg black marlin caught on a marabou jig from the edge of a tuna school! Plenty of macks, GT’s and queenies rounded out the captures and the constant supply of oysters and the upper pool deck put a smile on all the girl’s faces.
King George River to Vansittart Bay (rtn), August 2007
This round trip to the King George saw us spend the majority of our time in Napier Broome Bay chasing big queenies, GT’s and macks as well as snapper and nannygai on some new reefs Mal found. A few big black jewies were nailed around the 117cm, 40lb mark and the queenie frenzies on the way back from Vansittart Bay were second to none.
Some of the boys and Naomi took off to Jar Island for an extended search around the beaches for more rock art and after 4 hours of trudging through the bush and scaling cliffs they finally discovered a previously unknown (to us) piece of Bradshaw art which was a highlight for some. The discovery was washed down with some lovely vintage reds to see the big Dutchman, Peter, take out the prize for best wine on board!
King George River to Mitchell River, September 2007
After a brief resupply in Darwin we were back into it again with a great bunch from Perth and Mackay. The fishing was fantastic and the oysters in abundance so there were plenty of smiles all round. The standard Kimberley catch of Spanish mackerel, queenies and monster GT’s certainly kept the boys busy each day. Naomi swapped some lettuces and tobacco for some delightful endeavour prawns and bugs with one of the trawlers we anchored near. Not a bad trade and made for a tasty meal or two.
We had a great night on the beach at Shelter Bay eating a couple of magnificent coral trout caught that afternoon and once into the Mitchell River the crabs were crawling into anything that resembled a pot. One check on the 6 pots we had in bagged 12 crabs! Some great barra were a fitting end to the trip with the best stretching to a very respectable 82cm.
Mitchell River to Hunter River, September 2007
Mal’s parents and four of their friends joined us for this little adventure and had a wonderful time. With all the women on board we spent an equal amount of time exploring as we did fishing which everyone really enjoyed. We walked plenty of beaches and climbed a few hills, had champagne sunsets every night and plenty of laughs.
Starting in the Mitchell we had a feast of crabs and some nice barra and jacks plus assorted other species. Jim’s 75cm barra was the best catch. As we meandered through the islands of the Bonaparte Achipelago there was some scorching rod-bending action with big macks, GT’s and sharks as well as some beautiful goldies and a couple of trout. The last couple of days of the trip were spent in Prince Frederick Harbour with a couple of interesting forays into Creepy Cove and Treasure Island.
Hunter River (rtn), October 2007
This time it was Naomi’s parents that joined us with their friends for a short five day trip concentrated in Prince Frederick Harbour. We spent a couple of days near rainforest ravine and spent a day in the dinghy’s exploring Scott Strait and an inlet there. A very interesting trip particularly due to the massive tides that day. We found a lovely, but nearly dried up, freshwater swimming hole and Deb hooked up to a pretty decent sized Groper.
The fishing was a bit tough with the big spring tides but we still managed to get a good feed on the table. Phil caught a great mack and his first barra. There were a few goldies and sharks around to keep us all occupied and the very low tides ensured we did not go wanting for oysters.
Hunter River to King George River, October 2007
An eventful 10 day trip saw us take in the magic of the Hunter River, Prince Frederick Harbour, Rainforest Ravine and Treasure Island before making our way past Jusseau Island and Bigge Island to Shelter Bay. Some memorable mackerel moments and a decent haul of goldies kept us going and there were, as always, plenty of oysters for Woolo to consume. Rob’s 87cm barra near the Roe River was the fish of the day even if it did taste like old leather!
From Shelter we explored Mudge Bay where Wazza landed a monstrous 58lb mackerel and then took off for a 4 day session on barra in the Mitchell River. The crabbing was insane and the barra were plentiful and all of a good size. Quite a few biggies were dropped but Peter managed to stay connected to a healthy looking 85cm model with all the boys managing a decent sized fish or two. The last day of the trip was spent exploring the King George River before an early morning flight back to Darwin.